Like other countries, Australia wanted to impose age verification before accessing a porn site. The government has nevertheless decided to backtrack for reasons of respect for confidentiality and verification systems that are not developed. Arguments that are not heard on this side of the hemisphere.
Since last March, the Australian federal government has been working on a roadmap aimed at forcing pornographic websites to set up an age verification system, in order to prevent underage Internet users from accessing adult content. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland eventually scrapped the idea. Instead, the authorities will work with the industry to devise new tools for parents, so that they know how to limit their children’s access to these inappropriate sites.
No simple solution to a complex problem
” It is obvious (…) that each type of age verification technology has its own privacy, security, efficiency or implementation issues. “says the government. The technology must work without risk of being circumvented (with a VPN for example), it must also apply to pornography hosted outside Australia, without introducing any risk for the personal information of adult Internet users accessing these sites .
Education, but no age verification requirement: a solution that the industry would probably like to push in France. We do not take the path: a technical device must be put in place by the end of the year, via a trusted intermediary (an operator, for example), who will have to tell the website whether or not the user is an adult or not.
Finally, let us recall that according to an IFOP survey for 01net8 out of 10 French people doubt the effectiveness of blocking and the ability of a State to regulate access to this type of site.
Source :
The Guardian